Faded
by Addira
Summary: Adrien learns that there is a price to pay for constantly throwing himself in danger for his Lady, one that Ladybug couldn't let him pay for both their sakes. (rated M for Blood and Injury.)
1. Dimmed Black Spots

Adrien couldn't feel his face, or anything really. He had gone numb sometime the day before and hadn't felt anything since. He tried to feel the warm rays of the sun on his skin but found that he simply felt colder.

He couldn't stop thinking about it. He knew he was bad luck but no one in the history of Chat Noirs had messed up as astronomically as he had. The events played before him no matter what he did.

/-/-/

Ladybug and Chat Noir were patrolling by the Paris rooftops as they usually did when Ladybug suddenly stopped after he said "I'd do anything to protect you my Lady." and threw her a wink. She had stopped her throw midway and starred at him with something close to being fear. He noticed that his lady wasn't by his side after his leap and turned to her with question.

"Chat, promise me you won't." She claimed, loud enough for him to hear across the way and on the rooftop he stood on. He frowned as her words reached him. "Won't what?" He asked.

She held onto her yoyo with shaking fingers, with a rare mix of anger and panic. "Promise me you won't put your life in danger to protect mine."

He hadn't caught onto the tremor in her voice. "I won't my lady."

He meant what he said but he knew that if push came to shove he wouldn't be able to stop himself. To put his body in the way to protect his Ladybug was something he did on instinct, but she didn't know that and his answer seemed to calm her as she vaulted over the street and onto the rooftop where he stood, just a few feet away from him.

"Chat... there's something i need to tell you."

But she never could tell him. Because at that moment an akuma appeared. With a background of explosions and screams, they both sprung into action.

The akuma was dressed in a large blue bell-typed dress with dentelle stitched upon the edges of fabric. She had large white ribbons on her hips and had intricate details all along the bodice of the dress. It would have been a beautiful dress had it not been for the visible gash going down the centre with various needles attached by thread hovering dangerously behind her back like feathers on a pair of wings.

From what the akuma was yelling they pieced her motives quite easily.

She was a seamstress that was ridiculed for her work on a student's graduation robes and her anger was so potent (or perhaps even Hawkmoth's) that she just wanted to see people suffer. The long needles that stemmed from her threaded wings tips shot outwards and aimed for the heart of whoever was her target.

There had been a handful of victims already by the time Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived at the scene.

It was as they feared: Hawkmoth's akumas grew stronger with every passing day, with every frustrating defeat, and people were starting to pay for it.

Chat heard Ladybug gasp as her eyes fell onto the akuma, like she knew who she was. She even muttered something resembling "not again" under her breath before they both sprung forwards, deflecting. The heart seeking needles.

They fought as hard as and strong as they could, abiding their time before Ladybug would tell him to use his cataclysm as she tossed her yoyo in the air and called forth the lucky charm. Before she could form a plan though, the akuma unleashed a flurry of needles towards Ladybug who was now holding a lasso, dotted with black spots.

"Ladybug!" He called out in warning. He knew she wouldn't be able to deflect them on time, her hands were full with the Lucky Charm, he knew she would get hit. Before he was even aware of what he was doing his legs pushed him forwards and the needles sought him out instead.

He knew he was going back on his promise but he also knew that his Lady needed to be saved, and he'd do anything for his Lady.

But the needles never pierced him, he was pushed out of the way.

"No!" He pivoted quickly on his heel to see Ladybug pinned down to the ground with a needle going through her waist, a red substance seeping into her suit in darker tones. Her eyes were open wide, her blue irises large and surprised.

Chat gripped his staff harder and turned to the akuma, deflecting the next array of needles.

The following fight had been horrendous. Ladybug was physically pinned down, her blood was seeping out by the minute and her miraculous was beeping. Only her wit and smarts managed to pull them out of the fight alive as she used Chat Noir to lasso the akumatized person and he rushed to bring her the butterfly. She purified it as quick as she could and then collapsed as the miraculous cure made everything go back to normal...

Well almost all.

The needles disappeared but not the injuries, in fact the disappearance of the needles worsened every victim's condition, including his Lady's. He didn't know what his legs were doing but she didn't protest when he scooped her up and started dashing across the rooftops with his Lady safely cradled in his arms.

"Chat..." She shivered, grabbing onto his shoulders with a relatively loose hold. His heart broke as her voice wavered, he tried to keep his eyes ahead but his peripheral vision caught the red on her lips which only pushed him to go faster.

The faster he ran the more they realized just how many victims the akuma had made. Every time he looked down he saw yet another victim clutching at their heart as the nurses and ambulances tried their best to bring everyone back to the hospital. He didn't want to think of an approximate number as he held onto his Lady and continued to dash across the rooftops.

There was a gut-wrenching scream from bellow that made Chat freeze. He risked a look towards it and felt his blood run cold.

"Nino..." He whispered, his eyes glossing over.

Nino was being pulled out of an ambulance that had gotten knocked over by a bigger truck, no doubt trying to escape the akuma danger zone. He was pale and the ambulance crew was in a panic, Chat could hear the heart monitor beeping slower.

He heard his name being called from down below, begging him for help.

Chat Noir was faced with a choice, to save his Lady or save his best friend. His body shook as he couldn't decide.

He felt Ladybug's shivering touch on his jaw and his eyes went to hers.

She had the same look of determination that he often saw during battle and his heart dropped as he knew what she was about to say.

"We save the people of Paris first mon Minou." She spoke, her voice unwavering. "Save him and come back for me." Chat nodded as he jumped down and summoned all of the strength he could to pose her down gently in an alley. Once she was set against an old brick wall, he couldn't let himself release her from his hold. He couldn't let her go.

She smiled lightly as her hand was pressed against his chest, where she could feel his heart beating under her fingertips. "Go. We don't have much time." She urged as she pushed him lightly.

Chat closed his eyes as a tear fell down his cheek. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead, her skin getting increasingly colder. "I _will_ come back for you." He vowed as he kissed her hairline again with more fear than promise.

"I know you will Kitty..." She whispered after he forced himself to run away, pushing himself off of the wall and away from his Lady.

He ran, faster than he thought he ever could.

/-/-/

Adrien paced around in his room in a tight circle, constantly refreshing the Ladyblog like his life depended on it. It didn't matter how big his room was, he had confined himself to the small area in front of his monitors that were on a constant search for anything tagged under "Ladybug". He had given up on the news about Chat Noir, all he saw was the footage people caught of him vaulting over buildings and of his panicked breakdown calling out for his Lady.

There was nothing but fear on the Chat Noir searches, the same fear that Adrien had been engulfed by since he returned to the Agreste mansion late the night before without a voice or a beating heart.

Plagg was uncharacteristically quiet and hadn't complained about cheese during the entire ordeal, he even ate normal cheddar that Adrien offered him so that at least one of them wouldn't starve.

He hadn't spoken to anyone since he nearly lost his voice calling for Ladybug, since he cried himself dry the night before. Natalie tried to contact him a few times but stopped trying after the fifth try as she was still answered with silence.

One of his monitors picked up a new story on Ladybug and Adrien felt like a fool to feel hope bloom in his heart.

It was a candlelight vigil at the park across from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. The reporter said that it initiated by various Paris citizens who wanted to show their support for their superheroes and had already started a rather large tribute of cards and posters and flowers at the feet of the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue.

Candles were lit for Ladybug and there were various words of encouragement addressed to Chat Noir, written in various fonts and mismatched colours. He felt his chin shake as he read those that were displayed on his screen.

They were consoling him, offering words of comfort and of mourning.

"Is there anything you want to say to our super heroes?" The reporter asked a young child who wore a bright red jacket filled with black spots and a gap in her pearl white teeth. The little girl smiled to the reporter and spoke in her angelic little voice that crushed him to a thousand pieces.

"Ma maman told me that Ladybug is going to be alright as long as we got Cat Noir. He'll take care of her so we need to care for him."

Adrien closed his eyes as he curled in on himself and made himself as small as possible under his desk, burying his face in his knees as he hugged his legs hard.

"If I can help Cat Noir by giving him a card then Ladybug will be okay!" He heard the little girl say from where he was curled up. His shoulders started to shake as more and more people stared to give words of encouragement and love to their heroes. He couldn't take it anymore but he could turn it off either.

Thankfully he didn't have to as silence took over in his room. He kept his eyes shut tight, even as he felt Plagg's presence hover near his head.

"Adrien... She's going to be alright." Plagg whispered in a tone he had never heard before. It was like Plagg was trying his best to be the pillar that Adrien knew he desperately needed, but he knew nothing could help him as he was wracked with guilt and could barely function.

Plagg barely heard the words that came out from Adrien's lips. "I failed them all Plagg."

"You didn't fail Ladybug Adrien..."

Adrien shook his head and held onto his knees tighter. "I failed all of them."

He felt Plagg's little body land on his knees and refused his silent plea to open his eyes and look at him. "You didn't fail _anybody_ Adrien. Please understand that." Plagg urged, touching his knee in an uncharacteristic show of affection.

Adrien couldn't deny that the act was much appreciated but nothing could shake him free of his thoughts. He hiccupped as words came tumbling out of his mouth in a broken shaking voice, "I failed Ladybug, I failed Nino, I failed Paris..." He sobbed as he recalled bright blue eyes and a melodic laugh he wished he could forget. "I even failed Marinette..." He wheezed as he desperately tried to shake their faces from his mind. He had thought choosing between Nino and Ladybug was hard. But choosing between giving up on his Lady and saving Marinette instead had been worse, much _much_ worse.

/-/-/

Chat ran as fast as he could and tried his best to ignore Alya's cries behind him. She had been one of the few smart ones to avoid that particular akuma and had fled to the hospital to help with the victims. Many were comforted by her presence there, thinking that Ladybug would swoop in and reassure everyone. But all that comfort went to dust as she saw Chat Noir carrying a very pale Nino. Chat Noir forced himself to make the drop off as quickly as possible, dashing back towards the alley where he left his Lady without spending time answering any questions.

It was days like those when he was glad he hadn't needed to use cataclysm, he could remain Chat Noir for as long as he had to without fear of his detransformation. Ladybug didn't have that luxury... He hoped she'd still be in the alley by the time he returned.

He remembered how cold she was and it broke whatever was left of his heart, or so he thought.

When he got to the alley however he could not find his Lady. It wasn't long before he started to panic and pace and call out her name in broken cries.

"Ladybug!" He called, his voice breaking as he yelled and yelled.

He heard a rough cough behind him, towards the main road and he dared to hope. However it wasn't his Lady who lay there on the sidewalk, but it was Marinette.

His eyes opened wide as he saw that her condition was comparable to Nino's, except there were no nurses or ambulances around. Her overcoat and pink jeans were drenched in crimson blood and there was a small splattering of blood on the cold pavement near her mouth.

His mind flashed him memories of Marinette earlier that day, with her vibrant smile and laugh as she stuttered through what he thought might have been an attempt at a joke that very morning. There was no sign of that Marinette on the floor, her laboured wheezing turned his memory into a nightmare.

He wished he could say that he didn't hesitate but the vow he made to his Lady was still fresh in his mind.

 _I will come back for you._ He had already broken a promise to his Lady that very same day not even an hour before, yet it felt like that was a lifetime away.

Her words returned to him as clear as his own had.

 _We save the people of Paris first mon Minou._

He squeezed his hands into fists as he forced himself forwards and fell to his knees next to Marinette.

He carefully put his arm under her arms and knees and gently pressed her small body against his. She whimpered as he pressed her against his chest and couldn't bear the sight of seeing his classmate in so much pain. Much like Nino, Marinette had lost a lot of blood and was as pale as a sheet of paper, her lips were becoming blue and her breath was shaky at best, choppy at worst.

He could remember vaulting with Nino to the hospital but when it came to Marinette it was all a blur. Her dangerously pale features were engraved into his mind as she whimpered and shook in his arms.

He was beyond exhausted by the time he crashed into the hospital revolving doors. He couldn't hear or recall the nurses and volunteers rush to him and gently removing Marinette from his arms. He couldn't remember telling them her name as they put her down on an improvised trolley and rushed her inside, calling for an emergency surgeon. He couldn't remember the trip back to the alley or the amount of times he called out for his Lady with a battered and broken body.

What he could remember was the soul crushing regret he felt when his knees gave out and he fell in the middle of the street, clinging to the idea that his Lady could still be alive while being covered by the blood of his friends and Lady.

"Ladybug..." He chocked. "I failed you..." He shook in the middle of the street as the first of many tears started to spill. "I'm so sorry..."

/-/-/

Adrien hadn't felt the time pass or even register the absence of a certain black cat leave his room. But when he felt faint warmth on the skin of his red swollen cheeks, he couldn't resist the urge to open his eyes.

It took a few blinks to push the blurriness away but when he saw a floating red kwami before him he knew he wasn't hallucinating, even in his grief he knew what she was.

The small red kwami before him was hovering near and above his knees with large worried blue eyes that only reminded him of Marinette's gaze. The little kwami had a large black dot in between her eyes and little antennas that floated behind her as she swayed softly from side to side. He blinked again as a small smile appeared on her lips, a warmth invading him as she simply waited for him to accept her presence as reality.

"Hello Chat Noir." She greeted, her soft calm voice seemed out of place in a room like his, cold and distant where her presence was warm and inviting. She landed on his knee slowly as to give him time to decide if it was alright for her to do so. When he said nothing she sat comfortably on his knee with the same soft smile as she spoke.

"Do you know what I am?" She asked, her sad smile remaining on her lips as she spoke.

Adrien could only nod, she nodded as she continued to speak. "My name is Tikki."

Adrien swallowed as he addressed the kwami before him. "How did you find me?" He asked, his voice sounding like the human personification of sandpaper.

"Plagg sent for me, said you needed someone to get you to realize some things that he couldn't make you understand." She put her little hand on the jeans she sat on. "Plagg isn't one for abandoning his charges but... he knew he could always count on me. He cares for you very much Adrien, you know that don't you?"

Adrien's eyes lowered at the mention of Plagg. He knew his kwami tried his best to console him and he knew it wasn't his kwami's fault that he was suffering.

"Adrien... Listen to me. We need to talk you and I."

Adrien knew he wasn't ready for whatever Tikki was about to bring to the table but the image of his Ladybug potentially crying alone in a dark alley that he couldn't find forced him to face reality.

Whatever talk he needed to have with Tikki needed to happen, no matter how astronomical his failures were.

His owed his Lady that much and more. At least it was a start.


	2. Dulled Silver Band

"Adrien... Listen to me. We need to talk you and I."

Adrien took a moment to open his eyes and nod. Tikki could feel his turmoil of emotions flowing through him and understood why Plagg had been so worried. Anyone could be vulnerable to Hawkmoth and it was a miracle that Adrien hadn't been taken yet.

She knew he felt he wasn't ready for what she came to tell him but she admired the courage he showed, she knew it wasn't easy to go through what he had.

Before she could say anything however she saw Adrien's face slowly come out of his lulled misery into nearly a full blown panic. His spine snapped straight and he hit his head on the bottom of his desk's open keyboard drawer.

He whimpered as he rubbed his head with both hands torn between his sudden realization and the sharp pain that shot through his skull.

Tikki pressed her hands on his knee and hoped her presence reassured him, even if it was only slightly.

Once Adrien could tolerate the low ring in his head his wide open eyes shot towards Tikki's. "Is Ladybug alright? Is she safe?" He urged, his voice stronger and more coherent than the tones she heard mere seconds before.

Her sad smile didn't waver but her voice was seeping with reassurance. "She's safe Adrien. Her condition is... unsure but she's in good hands. Plagg is with her now."

Adrien let out a long relieved sigh as her words reached his ears. Tikki had supposed that Plagg would have told him that Ladybug was still alive but it was wrong to assume that even he knew or not. With how pale Marinette had been when Chat had reached her it was safe for Plagg to assume the worst and not cripple his charge's emotions further.

He took a moment before opening his eyes, he then waited for her to begin with the reason she was there.

 _Such a polite and gentle boy... Plagg you chose well._ She thought as she kept her hand pressed on his jeans.

"I hope you realize that my visit to you is rather unusual, even for kwami standards." She began hesitant. "But trust that there has been significant reasons for Plagg and I to decide this and I know you are clever enough to understand the magnitude of these circumstances."

He nodded and she sighed, trying to find her words without coming off as too strong or too invading.

She knew how to speak to her own charges but she didn't know enough about Adrien to know how to navigate the tricky conversation they were about to have. She found solace in the fact that Plagg entrusted him to her for the time being and she had to think of her own charge's recent turmoil as well. No matter how hard their conversation was about to become she needed to say what she came to say, else he'd never truly understand what had almost transpired the day before.

"Adrien, you need to stop risking your life to save hers."

There was a moment of silence between them as his features remained still but multiple emotions flitted across his expressive green eyes.

Before he could blurt out any form of protest, Tikki pressed on. "You may believe that you are protecting her by doing so but there's something that you don't realize." She urged, putting her hands together on her lap.

"I need to protect my Lady Tikki." Adrien insisted after her momentary moment of silence. She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "If I can save her life so she can save Paris and fight another day then so be it."

"That's where you are wrong Adrien. Your death will never bring about peace and victory, Ladybug will not be able to save Paris without you."

Adrien remained silent as he could see Tikki look for the words she needed to explain what she had just told him, even though he really wanted to explain why her life was of much more value compared to his own.

"Ladybugs and Chat Noirs have been partners since the beginning of time. Plagg and I always manage to pick two people who are both similar and opposites. In this you are linked, connected. Much like you are connected to Plagg and I am to Ladybug.

This connections is full of advantages just as it has its flaws. One of these flaws is your dependence on one another... The other is your inability to survive on your own."

Adrien frowned at her choice of words but remained quiet as Tikki showed no signs of stopping.

"I have seen too many Ladybugs and Chat Noirs fade away thinking their partner will survive... You need to understand that you are a team, a chosen pair. There's more than just your luck being shared between the two of you."

Adrien's eyes opened slightly as he started to piece together what Tikki was trying to say.

"Tikki... are you implying-"  
Tikki sniffled as she closed her eyes. "If one of you is hurt, or _worse_ , the other will weaken and fade..." She sniffled as she wipes away a tear from her cheeks. She then directed his attention to his silver ring on his right hand's ring finger. "It has already begun."

Adrien gapped at her with fear in his eyes at the implication of what she had said. His eyes shifted from the red kwami's form to that of his miraculous on his finger. What Tikki had said was turning true.

The silver band on his ring finger had previously been vibrant and shiny, it reflected all light no matter how many adventures it went on, or the amount of hits it had received that would have damaged any other rings that didn't possess any magical properties. But as Adrien looked at it he couldn't see the reflection of its shine, as it was dulled and no longer resembled the shiny silver ring it once was but rather a boring bland metal band.

Hesitantly, Adrien asked Tikki with a whisper that she didn't hear, "What do you mean by fade..."

"It has happened too many times and I don't want to lose anymore charges. Do you understand me?" Tikki couldn't remain seated and instead chose to hover inches away from Adrien's face, she resisted the urge to grab his nose and shake some sense into him but reminded herself that he was still overcome by grief and guilt.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir are a team Adrien, if you die so will she." She sniffled again. "And she's not doing too good right now."

Adrien could feel the tears tickle his eyes and couldn't stop them from slowly falling down his cheek. Tikki didn't know how else to make him realize the cost of his actions and she feared what his reaction to her words would be. Instead of an angry rant or a disbelieving scream of 'why wasn't I told sooner!' Adrien bowed his head down in regret and spoke in a soft voice,

"What can I do...?"

Tikki felt her heart flutter at his resignation. She was half expecting him to lash out in anger for not knowing that he had been causing unknown pain to his partner, she knew how to deal with that kind of backlash. But Adrien's reaction reminded her of her own charges...of Marinette. He wasn't all that different from Marinette in so many more ways that she and Plagg first realized.

"There's nothing you can do to help her right now. All we can do is wait." Tikki whispers as she looked outside, at the moon which rose high into the night sky. Usually at that time they'd be out on patrol but it was safe to assume that akumas might not appear for some time. There was something in the air that both she and Plagg had felt. She sighed as she spoke her mind.

"Maybe your presence might help but at this point I'd do anything." She sighed as she landed back down in Adrien's knee with a sigh. "I can't lose Marinette too..."

There was a short pause before Tikki realized what she had let slip. Her eyes bulged open as her hands clammed to her mouth as she looked into Adrien's gaze.

Adrien, who usually didn't catch onto social cues, caught that particular slip up and that time he let his expression spread to his features. His eyes were stuck to Tikki as his mouth fell open and his grip on his legs froze in a vice grip. He didn't seem mad or overly emotional, rather he looked frozen in shock.

He released his legs as he crossed them and made a slow move to offer Tikki a perch in his joined hands. She fluttered to the offering, looking up at him waiting for him to speak.

He held Tikki with a softness she hadn't been expecting as he fought the little tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "Tikki... Did you just say Marinette?" He asked.

Tikki nodded mournfully as she let him process the piece of information he had been chasing for so long.

"Ladybug was Marinette all along..." He repeated to himself, looking somewhere outside of his window with a distant expression that she couldn't decipher. After a moment he turned to Tikki, a look of determination on his features which were slowly recovering from the swelling of his past shed tears. There was a new resolve to his gaze and it was the first sign of the slow return of the Chat Noir she knew.

"Did she know about this... fading?" He asked hesitantly with a stronger voice then he was expecting.

Tikki let a single tear fall as she bowed her head down with a resigned sigh. "Yes." She stayed silent for a moment before looking up into his eyes and hovered inches away from his face. Adrien didn't move away as she lifted her little hand and touched him between the eyes.

Something red flashed before his eyes and it took him a moment before he could decipher what he had seen.

It was a compilation of Ladybugs and Chat Noirs, fighting akumas and crime alike but they were alone, their partner shown dead or dying beside them. Every Chat Noir had dulled leathers and every Ladybug had lost their vibrant red colours and their spots became blurry on their suits.

Adrien felt his heart crumble as he saw the looks on their faces. The miraculous heroes throughout the ages all had the same expression he had seen on that of his Lady before she shook it away and opted for that determined look that made his stomach flutter right before she told him to save Nino.

They had all given up. Having put all they had left into one final strike that was weak and pointless before giving in and fading away.

On their last moments they fell to their knees and gave up alongside their fallen partners. Either a criminal, natural disaster or akuma finished them but a miracle always managed to happen to ensure the miraculouses wouldn't end up in the wrong hands. It was either a black cat that go into the way of an older man would manage to swoop in and take the stones. Adrien thought the images would end with the last demonstration but he still felt Tikki's Magic flow through him.

The new images that Tikki was showing him were much clearer, less influenced by the ages and much more intense then he could prepare for as he saw himself dash in front of his own partner. A recreation of the events that transpired the day before.

Adrien felt a real physical aching pain shoot to his chest as he saw his own attempt appear before his eyes. He expected to see the needle pin down his Lady but was shocked to see the needle pierce his own heart instead. His Lady's gut wrenching cry echoed in his mind as he saw his body hit the ground with a sickening thump.

Ladybug's fade was rapid and noticeable as her eyes began to fill with tears, her gaze glued to the limb form of Chat Noir. She fell to her knees beside him and tried to shake him awake as the akuma didn't stop her attack, managing to pin Ladybug's feet and whatever she couldn't manage to protect from the akuma. Adrien felt his entire body go cold as he saw what could have happened, what could have been real.

Adrien couldn't stop the tears as the akuma tossed his Lady around like she was nothing, seeing her shake and wail out his alter ego's name twisted his heart in ways he didn't know we're possible.

The akuma's voice said something along the lines of squashing her like a bug but all he could see was his lady try to crawl away from her and towards the dead Chat Noir whose suit started to disintegrate and crumble away revealing his own features, cold and colourless. Her small gloved hand touched his chest as she let out one last sob, her own mask waning and wilting away, revealing a much paler version of Marinette.

"I'm so sorry Adrien..." She closed her eyes as the akuma wound up her attack and the world went black.

Adrien broke out of the images that invaded his mind and took a few moments to come back from it fully. The sight of Marinette's pale features and waning liveliness was anchored in his mind, both the real version he had seen and the one Tikki had shown him. He didn't know how he ended up in front of his bedroom windows but all he could do was look at Tikki who was hovering before him with a heartbroken realization.

"That... could have happened... today." There was a pause before he continued. "That was what she was trying to warn me about." He spoke in broken words as Tikki nodded.

"Marinette... knew this was a possibility. She had dreamed this a few nights ago and it hadn't left her since. She saw it all play out today and she made the decision to trust her luck and push you out of the way." Tikki flew up to his eye level and held her hands close to her heart. "She took a chance on luck today to make sure what you saw didn't happen."

Adrien felt his entire body shake. That was why she couldn't look at him in class recently, that was why she seemed so sad the past few days. She _knew_. Or at least she tried to forget until her nightmare really happened.

Adrien never really considered himself as thick or unobservant but at that moment he truly felt like an ignorant fool. He looked out the window and thought of Marinette and how the pieces of Ladybug and Marinette slowly combined to form a better more complete picture.

She had always been so close... She was right behind him in class, she'd show up to most events he would, she would disappear as soon as his Lady would appear... Her smile, her laugh, her bluebell eyes and midnight hair... He couldn't stop his smile as he imagined hers.

His gaze turned to Tikki with an unexpected warmth and a kind smile that spoke volumes of how he felt. Tikki knew he had finally pieces things together and the sight of the Adrien Marinette fawned over had finally resurfaced and it was then that Tikki understood why Marinette was so smitten.

He had kind warm green eyes that didn't demand all of the attention, his smile was warm and genuine as he offered a silent request for forgiveness. He had never raised his voice, even in grief, and he hadn't held anyone else accountable for his shortcomings.

Tikki really wanted to hug him but instead chose to listen to what he wanted to say.

"I have been an idiot Tikki." He admitted, a small smile on his lips. "And I'm afraid that won't do."

Tikki couldn't stop the smile that formed on her lips. She could see the Char Noir in him then, as well as the Adrien she got to know from her experiences in Marinette's purse, which was nothing compared to the broken boy she saw originally. She whooped with joy at the question that followed.

"Which room is she in?"


	3. Vibrant Blue Glances

Adrien words made Tikki's little romantic heart skip a beat. When she heard his words and her eyes snapped up to his gaze she could see he same kind of determined expression she often saw in Marinette as she'd try another time to confess her feelings to the very same boy Tikki was looking at in front of her.

His eyes were red from the salted tears, his hair almost looked like an intentional styled mess, his white blouse was wrinkled in many places and one of his shoelaces was untied but Adrien hadn't looked more perfect.

Tikki couldn't stop her smile as she thought that _maybe_ Marinette may have been rubbing off of on when it came to this boy.

Tikki whooped as the signature wide smile formed on the blond model's features, the kind of smile she knew he had when he thought Ladybug wasn't looking.

Once Tikki told him her room number he dashed towards his closet and picked up a black 'Gabriel' designer hoodie, and the blue scarf that he still thought his father got for him, before rushing out of his bedroom with his phone in his hands as he quickly looked up the hospital visitation hours.

"We have thirty minutes Tikki!" He urged, opening his hoodie's buttoned side pocket, an invitation for her to hide. Instead she zoomed by and hid in the folds of his hood. As she settled in he barely heard her mutter "I can smell the Camembert from here, the hood's fine."

He laughed as he called out for the Gorilla.

Five minutes later the Gorilla pulled into the driveway with the fastest car Gabriel Agreste allowed him to use and they were off before Adrien's father, or rather Nathalie, could stop him.

Due to the akuma attack the day before the streets were relatively emptied, save for the occasional taxi or Parisian citizen making their way to either the hospital or the tribute in the park. Adrien felt his chest constrict when he saw the tribute as they drove by.

To say that there was a mountain forming was an understatement. There were flowers, cards, little figurines, ladybug and chat noir themed articles of clothing and a _sea of people_ of all ages and ethnicities. He took a quick picture before he'd lose sight of it thinking that one day he'd show his Lady... that he'd show Marinette once she woke up.

The thought of his Lady made him panic as he noticed that the allowed visitation window was quickly closing.

The Gorilla seemed to catch onto Adrien's unease and drove a little faster.

Adrien felt his heart flutter as the hospital came into view. He had vaguely remembered seeing the Seine river when he carried Nino and Marinette but now that he was literally next to it he could feel the urge to meet his lady exponentially more. He could recall all the times they had been running across the bridges and over the river... he felt the need to be close to his Lady as soon as possible. He felt his heartbeat rise as he saw the signs for "L'hôpital Hotel-Dieu" up ahead but he instantly deflated as he saw the rows and rows of idle cars just waiting to drop off or pick up people.

After barely a minute of waiting Adrien became antsy, his knee was bouncing up and down, his fingers drummed the car door, he couldn't keep his attention in one place for too long. No matter what he did, the image of his Lady flashed before his eyes and whatever focus he managed to achieve was ruined. Once he realized that there was no entry from the main doors he quickly started to consider his options.

He could enter from the front door by elbowing people out of the way, he could scale up the side of the building using his parkour abilities that he gained from escaping from his window numerous times or try the side doors.

Either way, he needed to get out of the car and that meant throwing the Gorilla off of his trail. He took a deep breath before swinging the door open and jumped out of the car.

"I'm sorry but I need to get in there!" He apologized as he shut the door behind him. "I'll call you if I need to be picked up!" He said over his shoulder as he trusted his legs to push him forward without looking where he was going.

Thankfully Adrien didn't bump into anyone, he quietly thanked Tikki's silent directions as he avoided the people on the sidewalks. He silently hoped that Plagg had been with him then, he would have saved time getting to the hospital and sidestepping all the pedestrians he nearly knocked over.

Adrien had managed to get to the main doors of the hospital when he knew he couldn't bypass everyone there. Those people had been waiting hours to get medical attention, and even if he felt the urgent need to be by Marinette's side he couldn't bring himself to be that much of an asshole. 'Well there goes that plan.'

He began to plot his alternative plan of entry and bolted to the fire escape ladder that he knew was on the other side of the left wing.

He swiftly avoided incoming people who were headed straight for the hospital lobby and smiled when he caught the metal glint of the fire escape ladder.

"Tikki is there a way you can-" he started to say while looking for the red Kwami in his hood, only to find that she wasn't there anymore. He tried to calm his panicked heart as he called out for Tikki once more.

Instead of a reply he heard a clear metallic thunk to his right. His head swivelled towards he ladder and smiled as the red creature floated there with a smile.

"Like this?" She asked him with a small adorable smile that could melt anyone's heart.

He chuckled as he began to climb the ladder. "I knew I liked you." He said as Tikki flew back into his hood.

She huffed and smiled. "Don't tell Plagg that, he gets really jealous when his charges like me even a little bit."

Adrien chuckled and rolled his eyes. "For a cat god he can be pretty childish."

Tikki giggled and it sounded like music from the happiest magical place one could come from. Sweet and kind and warm... Like his Lady.

"Is that what he told you he was? A _cat God_?"

Adrien smiled as he shook his head. "No," Adrien admitted, getting off of the ladder and peeking into one of the big hospital windows before slowly opening it, after being slightly surprised it wasn't locked. "but he likes to think so." He whispered back as he pulled up his hood, which gave him a very 'chat-like' allure.

The hallways were silent and dark and If Adrien didn't know any better he would have swore that the wing was deserted. But then there was a short acute cry of pain and a nurse instantly ran towards the room with a small syringe in hand.

Adrien quickly dashed around the corner, having the undeniable urge to stay unseen. He waited till the nurse exited the room and returned to her initial area before proceeding slowly channeling his inner Chat Noir while silently praising the fact that hospitals didn't have pigeons to give away his location.

There was more pained coughing to his right, Adrien quickly rushed into the nearest room and his silently. He kept his eyes peeled on the nurse as she administered the same remedy as the other patient.

As soon as the nurse left the room and Adrien was ready to proceed, he felt Tikki's little tug on his scarf.

"Adrien look." She whispered, her blue eyes open wide.

Adrien followed her line of sight and gasped. There on the hospital bed next to the window was Nino.

He was tucked up to his waist in the hospital sheets, his hat was hung on the hooks on the wall with his headphones, he had a variety of different flowers on his bedside table and Adrien felt relief flow through him as he noticed the colour was back in his cheeks.

Adrien took a few cautious steps in his best friends direction before he was at arm's length to him. He reached out and touched his now warm hand and felt his smile grow with every beat of the heart monitor, remembering how it had nearly stopped before he picked him up as Chat Noir.

His fingers squeezed around Nino's hand and smiled as Nino's lips smiled a little.

"It's good to know you're ok Nino." Adrien whispered with a smile. He had always planned to visit Nino once he found his Lady, he was simply more relieved to be able to find Nino on his own (navigating all the halls quietly could get tiresome and risky).

Adrien's eyes caught onto his headphones, which had fallen to the floor next to his bedside table and had seemed to have been kicked further under.

Adrien knelt down and placed the headphones back onto the table.

But it seemed that his luck chose that exact moment to run dry.

"Wh-Who are you!" He heard the voice behind him and resisted the urge to turn around upon reflex.

He knew it was the nurse behind him as he could almost hear how tired she sounded. Her voice was surprised at first and hesitant near the end. She could probably be reassured if he acted enough like Chat... Possibly.

He felt Tikki cling to his neck, hoping not to move the fabrics of his hood to announce her presence.

"I'm so sorry to surprise you." He said in the voice he often used as Chat Noir. "But I was merely here for a moment." He looked back towards Nino and let go of his hand. "I wanted to make sure one of the two I brought here were alright." In that moment Adrien wished she would have caught up with the news or something, otherwise the nurse would surely think a much different more ... murderous version.

"Chat N-oir?" She asked, her voice shaky.

He nodded. "I only came to see two people I assure you I didn't come to steal anything." As he spoke he tugged the scarf around his mouth and nose, giving him an improvised mask where only his eyes showed.

He turned around slowly to see the Nurse clutching her clipboard tightly as she looked like she had no idea what to do.

"If you can tell me where 'Marinette Dupain Cheng' please do. I'd hate to roam around here for hours until I find her. So could you please lend one of the heroes of Paris a paw and I'll be on my way."

The nurse smiled at the sudden jovial attitude but still her frown remained.

"It's not that I don't want to help you but it's that I can't. Besides visitor hours are over so you aren't technically allowed to visit anyone."  
She sent him a slightly sad sympathetic smile.

Chat Noir frowned as he nodded in understanding.

"But if what I've read about you is true then I suppose that whether or not the visitor hours are in effect or not it doesn't really affect your decisions...?"

Chat Noir smiled and took long skippy slides until he was standing next to the nurse at a respectable distance.

"Read that bit of legitimate information on the Ladyblog did you?" He teased rocking back on the balls on his feet.

The nurse chuckled at the blatant advertising Chat Noir had given. She looked away from his face her hand covering her cheek with a smile.

"The right ward is on lockdown right now since we have suppositions that any injured woman from today's attack could be Ladybug. Because of this only family and close friends are allowed in. The mayor said he owed Ladybug a favour so made it against the law to force their heroes to reveal themselves. His announcement was on repeat for an hour this morning."

Adrien didn't know about this new 'law' the mayor was enforcing, and to be honest it was a delightful surprise. The kind of gift you can't believe you received from someone you thought could never deliver. Of course, this was Mayor Bourgeois. He probably had a list of those women's names and was ready to sell that list to the highest bidder. It would be the only situation in Mayor Bourgeois' mind that ended with everyone happy.

Adrien shook his head with a chuckle and crossed his arms on his chest. "This is not new territory for me, miss...?"

"Oh!" She gasped as she hadn't expected that she needed to introduce herself, it simply reminded Chat Noir that he always loved seeing people react to heroes.  
She waved a little before speaking. "My name is Susan." She nodded as she held the clipboard with both hands once more.

"Wonderful to meet you Susan. However I must see this right wing and will try to stop distracting myself by looking for my Lady, now that I know she might be here, but I'll do my best."

Susan seemed at a loss for words before she shoved her clipboard in his chest.

"Could you please sign this before you go?" She gushed out all of her words in order but she spoke them so quickly it was almost all in one wavelength.

The only reason Chat understood what she meant was because of the pen she had handed out in front of her.

He chuckled as he signed the a relatively bland space on the hospital report she was holding.

He gave her a wave before running down the halls and silently navigating all other single nurse wards until he reached the bizarre checkpoint the hospital staff were able to create. There were two policemen that stood tall to keep the journalists away, and a very tired looking nurse at a small desk to make sure no one came in without speaking with him.

Adrien quickly removed his hood and tugged his scarf down before joining the people waiting out on the plastic chairs.

That was when Adrien heard a voice he recognized instantly. If anyone could sneak him into the Right wing, legitimately or not and without damaging his family's reputation, it was Alya freaking Césaire.

Adrien smiled as he turned towards Alya, finding her on her phone, presumably talking with her mother. But as soon as he took one step in her direction she turned to face him like she sensed his presence.

'Freaking reactive journalism runs deep in her blood.' He swore kindly in his mind.

Alya rushed to say quick words to her mother before hanging up and catching him in a tight hug, her eyes wide like she was seeing a ghost.

"Damn Adrien would it kill you to check your phone once and a while?" She nearly accused as he reacted to the surprise hug with hesitance. "With what happened to Marinette _and Nino_ you really had me worried!"

"I'm sorry Alya... I wasn't thinking straight yesterday." He apologized with a little squeeze to her torso.

She nodded and let go of him while keeping a hand on his shoulder. "I forgive you, I can't force others to live on their phones like I do." She apologized with a small 'I don't really mean that' smile.

Adrien chuckled as he shook his head. "You are right. I should have checked to see if anyone was worried." His eyes shot to the checkpoint with a worried glance before turning back to Alya.  
"Hey Alya I need to ask a favour. No questions asked."

She frowned and crossed her arms on her chest and leaned a little backwards. "What do I get in return?" She asked with a teasing tone.

Adrien knew she meant it as a joke but he also knew he would owe Alya forever if he didn't give her something just as valuable in return. Besides, it was the right time and it would go to worthy hands.

'I get to see Ladybug, my actual partner, in action almost every day. That's the next best thing. That's the _best_ thing. Adrien you don't need it. I know she's cute but the _real_ one is cute too!' He thought to reason with himself as he knew exactly what to give Alya.

"I will give you my limited edition Chrome Ladybug figurine." He swore it was like Alya was living through the excitement of three birthdays all at once. "But remember that you can't ask questions!"

Alya held her onto her phone in excitement. "I won't ask anything. I know how much you love that figurine." Adrien smiled as even though Alya was all in all a good person, even she couldn't resist such an offer. "Must be a big favour." She muttered as she could practically feel the weight of the figurine in her hands already.

Adrien smirked, grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her towards the checkpoint. "I need to get in there."

/-/-/-/

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Adrien asked Alya over his shoulder as he held the little modest bouquet of red, white and pink flowers in his hands. "What if they don't believe me?"

Alya scoffed while pushing him in the black slightly. "There's no reason they shouldn't. Besides they let the others in so don't worry. Just act the part and they'll piece it together."

Adrien frowned lightly as he looked back to the flowers in his hands. They weren't the best quality for flowers, and Adrien had no idea where Alya took them from, but they would do. Adrien wasn't too keen on sneaking into a blocked off area without permission when he wasn't Chat Noir.

He took a deep breath before walking up to the two policemen and nurse.

"Sorry but only family and friends are allowed behind this point, Mayor's orders." The man recited like a broken record, his eyes lazily glancing up to the blond boy before him who held a small bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"I'm here to see Marinette Dupain Cheng please."

He grumbled as he pulled out a file and opened it. "What's your relation to miss Cheng, mister...?"

"Agreste, Adrien Agreste. And I'm her partner sir."

The man mumbled something along the lines of " _Partner_ kids these days have weird labels..." before looking up expectantly.

Before the man was about to ask him for his ID, Adrien pulled out the latest fashion magazine. "I apologize for the inconvenience but in my haste I forgot to grab my wallet, will this work as identification?" He tried as he opened the page to the latest 'Gabriel ' line advertisement. There was a clear picture of Adrien with the headline 'Like Father Like Son, Adrien Agreste voted Most Prominent Teen Fashion Icon'. It was a preposterous article but what mattered was his face was plastered all over it. The nurse looked it over and sighed. "I suppose there's no denying that this is you, but next time please do bring your identification please."

Adrien shot him a sheepish smile while rolling the magazine back into his pocket. "Yes sir."

He really needed to applaud Alya on her idea of using his modelling pictures, it was one of the rare times they actually came in handy.

"Very well mister Agreste, excuse me for a moment as I need to call her parents to verify this. Her file says she isn't in a committed relationship. Please hold on for a moment." He reached over to use the phone he had beside him and Adrien really hoped that Alya had time to warn Marinette's parents.

He risked a look over his shoulder and felt his confidence in Alya's plan falter as she was still furiously calling, with a look of unease on her features.

'Oh no.' Adrien cleared his throat as he could feel his nervousness climb. The only thing that stopped him from visibly sweating was his experience as Chat Noir and the little reassuring hand Tikki pressed against his hand that was hidden in his hoodie pocket.

'Please don't pick up. Please don't pick up. Please don't pick up.' He urged as he starred down the phone in the hands of the nurse.

"Yes Hello Madame Cheng, it's the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital."

'Shit.' Adrien swore internally, sending uneasy looks to Alya.

"No don't worry there's nothing alarming about your daughter's condition, but I do have a visitor here that claims that he is your daughter's partner." There was a pause and Adrien felt like it had lasted for hours. "Yes ma'am. He said his name is Adrien Agreste." He nodded. "Yes ma'am, he is blond." He winced. "I'm afraid I can't judge if he is attractive ma'am." Adrien couldn't help the smile that crept onto his lips.

'Did Marinette's mom ask the nurse if I was cute looking?' He wondered as he saw the nurse nod some more before hanging up with a polite goodbye.

"It seems everything checks out Mister Agreste, you may proceed to the room number R45."

A significant weight dropped from Adrien's shoulders as he proceed past the police officers and through the large doors that had seemed impossible to sneak past.

He really needed to send a large bouquet of roses to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

He felt nervous as he made his way to the room he knew Marinette was in, every step he took reminded him that he's see her differently from then on. She wouldn't just be Marinette or Ladybug, she be Ladybug _and_ Marinette.

Of all the ways they could have revealed themselves, this was not the way he thought they get. He always thought he'd let a pun slip or he'd channel his Chat Noir charm while not in costume or she'd give in and agree to revealing their identities to each other.

Although he was greatly pleased with who his Lady turned out to be, he silently wished that he wouldn't have seen the faded black spots and wilting mask version that Tikki had shown him. He knew those images would haunt him and he knew it would affect how he fought but he hoped that in time he'd learn to block them out and focus on keeping them both alive.

His eyes caught onto the big R45 in front of one of the farther rooms. He had expected to feel nervous but in reality he felt ... warm and relieved. His Lady was alive... She had always been close.

His fingers froze around the door knob as he took a long inhale. He could feel Tikki leaving his pocket as he let out the breath and felt all the stress of the day (and previous one too) leave his weary bones. He kept his eyes open as he pushed the door open.

The room was relatively white, with a single bed pressed up against the wall next to the window. There was a soothing rhythm from the heart monitor and a slight snore broke most of the silence.

Tikki flew ahead of Adrien and hovered at around halfway, making little hand motions telling him to approach.

He didn't remember making his legs walk forward but next thing he knew he was standing at Marinette's bedside, holding the small improvised bouquet (of questionable origin) and started to feel warmth course through his veins again.

He didn't know how he hadn't seen it before, how he hadn't connected the dots. He chuckled at the thought, imagining Marinette roll her eyes at his incurable pun condition.

Before he could stare at his Lady for the hours to come Adrien knew there was something he absolutely needed to do before hand.

He posed the flowers inside the vase on her little window still, mixing the flowers with the already existing ones, and turned back towards Marinette.

"Plagg?" He called, his voice smooth and careful. He had never been separated from Plagg before and he felt empty without him. Tikki's presence helped but he knew he owed the black kwami an apology.

He expected to see Plagg come out from the ripples of sheets from Marinette's bed but instead all he heard was a voice.

"What?"

Adrien sighed with a sad smile as his head angled upwards. Plagg had made a small nest near the curtain rings, hung above and around Marinette's bed.

Adrien couldn't stop his smile from spreading, even if Plagg was irritating and always smelt of cheese, he had never known a better friend. "Plagg I'm sorry I didn't listen to you..." He apologized, his expression remorseful.

In typical Plagg fashion he simply crossed his arms and huffed. "Anything else?" He asked, with his little chin jab. Adrien chuckled as he removed something very Camembert shaped from his pocket.

"Let me re-phrase that," Adrien smiled, raising the cheese a little higher. "Plagg I'm sorry and there's three more of these waiting for you back home."

His little cat eyes were as large as saucers as they landed on the cheese. It took three seconds for him to zip over and accept Adrien's apology while gulping down the peace offering in record time. One second the cheese was in his hand and the next Plagg was rubbing his little stomach with a large grin on his face.

"You are such a glutton, I can't believe you." Tikki sighed with a resigned expression. Adrien didn't have time to laugh at Plagg's indignant reply since another sound captured all of his attention.

A soft whine came from Marinette's lips and within seconds Adrien had brought a chair over and sat beside her quietly.

"Plagg could you keep it down..." She mumbled in a disoriented tone. "You're making my head get woozy."

Adrien smiled at the sound of her voice. He could barely contain himself or keep his limbs at bay. He wanted to do nothing but grab her hand and hug her gently and kiss her cheek and do anything that involved touching a part of his living Lady.

"It wasn't me this time!" Plagg replied with an insulted air, floating towards Adrien and landing on his shoulder with a smug smile.

"I'm sorry Marinette I should have kept my voice down." Tikki apologized as she too landed on Adrien's shoulder. "But look at who I brought!" She announced happily.

He didn't know what he was expecting as a reaction but what he got wasn't exactly it.

"Please tell me it's not Adrien." She almost whimpered. Her eyebrows dipping in a hopeful frown.

Tikki and Plagg visibly deflated with matching confused expressions at her words. They both turned to Adrien with slight worry, hoping he didn't take it as a rejection, their charges had already gone through so much already.

But instead of seeing a broken-hearted Adrien, all they saw was a grinning blond boy with warm features with a patient gaze who reached out to hold Marinette's hand.

He brought her smaller hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles while keeping his gaze on her still closed eyes.

"I hate to disappoint you, my Lady, but I'm not that easy to scare away."

Marinette's eyes shot open as she looked straight into his green eyes.

He felt his heart skip a beat as he could see the life in them, even in the utter darkness.

He had wondered earlier if Tikki amplified the blue in Ladybug's eyes, since he had never made the connection between awkward Marinete and his Lady. But in the darkness of the hospital he could see just how wrong he was. It was always Marinette, with the vibrant blues and the strong beating heart.

"Hello Marinette." He smiled.  
Her cheeks then turned a shade of red he had never seen before, comparable to even Tikki.

It would be really hard not to tease his Lady in the upcoming conversation... But then again, between the two of them she was more of a tease lately.

'Oh how the tables have turned.' He thought with a smile.


	4. Happy Green Eyes

"Please tell me it's not Adrien."

Marinette knew it was useless to try to fool herself, as there were numerous reasons as to why she knew for a fact that Adrien was the one at her bedside.

Firstly, he was Chat Noir. That was undeniable.

Secondly, Chat Noir needed to come for Plagg at some point.

Thirdly, _she could smell him_.

It's not like she took a whiff when he wasn't looking but it was just something that she had caught in passing without paying attention. It was the kind of smell you didn't know you had and people associated you with (and you secretly hoped that your own smell wasn't bad.) Adrien's smell was soothing and lulling... but when he was Chat Noir... well. Marinette still had difficulties admitting to herself that she found his scent attractive. It was a mix of leather and _cheese_ but with an obvious blend of Adrien's natural aroma. If she didn't know any better she could have sworn that Chat Noir did it on purpose.

She felt his hand curl around her own and her heart melted to the touch.

"I hate to disappoint you, my Lady, but I'm not that easy to scare away."

She would have able to act relatively normally if he hadn't kissed her hand, she told herself. Instead, when she felt his lips on her knuckles her eyes shot open and her gaze landed solidly on his waiting green ones.

She had expected to see a well-put together model holding her hand but instead was greeted by a disheveled blond boy with a debonair grin and two kwami on his shoulders. (Who looked like his conscience really, Tikki on one shoulder Plagg on the other.)

Adrien looked a lot more like Chat at that moment and it made it easier for Marinette's poor confused soul. She could see the separate personalities fit strangely well into one round picture... Where Chat could be a gentleman, Adrien could be a jokester. Chat could be heroic and poised, Adrien could be jealous and childish. She could count on her hand the amount of times she had seen Adrien grin and on all of those occasions she felt a strange familiarity that she now knew was recognition.

Then her eyes caught onto the blue scarf he had around his neck and she wanted to die emotionally.

'He was right there!' She thought, slightly frustrated. 'Chat Noir was right there the entire time...' The loneliness, the cravings for affection, the over the top advances... They all made sense now that they all pointed to Adrien.

It was a relief when he spoke up first, as she definitely could not form a single coherent sentence.

"Hello Marinette."

'Oh dear.' She thought as she felt her entire face flare up into a deep blush. She didn't think it was possible for her face to become even more red. Her eyes shifted from his gaze to his hold on her hands as he smirked.

"Perhaps if the lady would prefer, I could call you _Princess_ instead?"

She was wrong; her blush got worse.

She recalled the time Chat Noir came to Marinette in order to deal with the Evillustrator, how he flexed and tried to impress her and how Adrien had asked her what she thought of Chat Noir. She thought of the day where Chat Noir picked her up and carried her kilometres away from the Gamer, and recently how Chat picked her up from the street and practically flew across Paris to get her to a hospital while whimpering and blinking away the tears in his eyes...

Her own eyes started to water as she came to a sudden realization.

 _He had always cared._

She didn't realize she was crying until she caught the sight of distress and panic on Adrien's features.

His expression had gone from teasing to panic the second her tears started to fall. His playful smirk was quietly replaced by a stuttering soundless gaps of his mouth and he released her hand in favour of holding her cheeks with both of his gentle hands.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what I said to-! Please don't cry! I don't have to call you Princess if you don't want to-" he blabbered out, in a typically _Marinette_ fashion. A year ago she wouldn't have even dreamed of hearing Adrien stutter but there he was, in all of his disheveled glory fumbling over his words and shattering the 'Flawless Model Adrien' she had put up on a pedestal over the years.

She didn't stop her tears as she smiled, relieved. Adrien's words died on his tongue as he looked at her confused. He didn't have time to ask her what was wrong before she wrapped her arms around his torso, bringing him into a hug he hadn't been expecting. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and into the blue scarf, still somewhat smelling her own scent in between the threads; but that could be part of her delusion, she concluded. She began to laugh lightly when she felt his whole body become rigid, she knew Chat reacted that way to sudden bouts of friendship and affection, freezing like a deer caught in headlights.

Adrien froze for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her softly, avoiding the large bandaging where she had been hurt. He hadn't been expecting that many emotions to carry one after the other like he had seen, there were just so many! Even by Marinette standards.

He melted into the hug once he could feel Marinette's fingers playing with the longer strands of hair that touched his neck. As they circled in soothing motions it reduced him to putty in her arms. Adrien closed his eyes as his forehead rested in the crook of her shoulder, taking deep breaths and treasuring her eerily familiar scent (while mentally combining it with that of Ladybug's that he had definitely smelt while dealing with animan.)

"It's ok." She reassured him, hearing his breathing slow as her fingers massaged his scalp. "You can call me Princess if you want."

He gave a distracted hum of approval, his attention entirely diverted to what she was doing in his hair. She smiled as his body was completely limp against hers, she didn't know she could make him that way. She filed that kind of information away for another time as she loosened her hold on him, and leaned back into her mountain of stiff hospital pillows.

He blinked slowly, as to push the new sleepiness away from his body, before his gaze returned to his Lady, who was smiling and blushing slightly.

"I um." She began, avoiding his gaze by looking off to the side and to her fingers. "Sorry. I know _that_ must have been confusing for you." She risked a glance into his direction and felt her nervousness whittle away at the sight of his satisfied smile.

"How strong are your painkillers?" He asked her with his arms crossed and his elbows resting on her mattress.

She shrugged with a loopy smile. "I don't know." She smiled as he laughed. "But I don't feel a thing!"

She saw a hint of mischief in his gaze but the blushing that followed in his usually composed features made her immensely curious at what kind of thought had gone through his mind.

He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.  
"On a _completely_ different subject," her eyebrow rose at how he insisted the difference in topics, it only confirmed her suspicions of what Adrien almost said seconds before. "the Mayor set some pretty strict rules to every hospital, have you heard about that perchance?"

Marinette frowned and shook her head slightly.  
"No. I don't get much news from anyone. I was sleeping for most of the time."

Adrien nodded before continuing. "That makes sense." He whispered to himself. "Well the Mayor basically announced that under no circumstance can people force Ladybug to reveal herself, so all hospitals have set up checkpoints and barriers to keep anyone that isn't family or close friends out."

Her expression was of pure shock with a hint of satisfaction. "Really? That's explains so much actually..." Marinette smiled as she remembered how nervous the nurses were. She assumed it was related to the stresses of the job but now she knew that every nurse basically told themselves that any patient in recovery could be Ladybug.

Marinette returned her attention to a lightly blushing Adrien and that was when the gears in her mind stopped.  
"Wait. How did you get in then? If Plagg was here with me and not with you..."

The way she saw it, there were three possibilities.

Adrien could have climbed through a window. But seeing as it was raining outside for the past hour and he was relatively dry, the chances of that were unlikely.

He could have snuck his way in after making some hospital personnel chase him all over the hospital, that was also unlikely.

Or he could have claimed to be someone close to her and manage to fool whoever was in charge.

Considering his lightly flustered features and Tikki's bright overly proud smile, Marinette knew exactly which option he had chosen.

"Adrien... Did you-?"

"Yes. Yes I did. I regret absolutely nothing although now I realize that maybe coming off as your boyfriend may have been presumptuous and maybe just a little forward but I needed to see you and they called your parents to verify and I guess your mother likes me cause they let me in but-"

He stopped his blabbering when Marinette started laughing, muffling her giggles with her hand as tears started to form in the corner of her eyes. Adrien couldn't stop the grin on his features as her happy free laugh filled the room, he could practically hear Tikki's little heart flutter at the sound. By the look of the spotted kwami's smile he knew he was right to think that Tikki was just as invested in _whatever_ they had as he was.

"They called _my mother_?" She asked once she could breathe between breaths. Adrien had to cover his non-apologetic smile as her expression went from a jubilant gigglefest to a horror-stricken realization within the seconds that followed. "They called _my mother_." She whispered, her gaze shifting to Adrien. "And they let you _in_." Adrien could definitely hear Marinette's mantra of "Oh no"s.

She covered her face with her hands and muffled her words but she didn't account for the fact that Adrien had ridiculously good hearing when he paid attention, "I can see it now... they'll invite him to dinner and they'll interrogate him, and stuff his mouth with croissants, and my dad will challenge him to a Mecha Strike III tournament that will last forever cause he hates being defeated and then they'll kidnap him and I'll be forced to pay ransom and-"

Adrien couldn't stop the grin on his features from spreading into his signature smile. He leaned forward and caught how she shifted her gaze and shot him a suspicious look. Adrien kept his grin as he spoke, "She even asked them if I was cute."

Marinette fell dead silent and stared at the wall, letting her fingers fall to cover her lips as she glared ahead. If she were a cartoon, Adrien could have sworn that he heard computer rebooting sounds, but that just wasn't possible he told himself.

"She did what?" She asked monotone, her blush threatening to invade her skin forever as a permanent feature.

Adrien couldn't help himself as he leaned in some more with a playful smirk. "I might be wrong but she might have asked if I brought flowers too."

Marinette's gaze snapped to his own as he winked. He smiled as he could imagine what the two of them looked like. The contrast of her exaggerated neutrality and his teasing winks made a funny combination but if they were honest it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The only difference were the absences of masks and his puns.

"And um Did you? Bring flowers I mean." Only certain types of people brought flowers to hospitals and those were family and close friends and guilt-ridden people and _couples_.

Adrien let out a noise of contemplation. "Yes and no."

She raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Yes I did, but no I didn't bring them from outside. I improvised."

Marinette opened her mouth but closed it just as quickly. 'I don't want to know.' She decided, looking over to the, now bigger, bouquet of flowers on her window still.

There was a moment of silence between them and Marinette didn't know how to feel about it either. Usually when there were silences between Chat and her it was because of patrol or an Akuma attacked or she was figuring out a plan with the lucky charm in her hands. But with this new kind of silence she didn't know what to do with it.

Should she remain quiet and just soak in the idea of knowing her longtime partner's identity or...

She didn't have to think much longer about it as she heard Adrien clear his throat and shift in his seat.

"Marinette?" His small voice broke her out of her thoughts. As her eyes looked into his she knew what he was about to say. The lightness and joking tendencies had gone and was replaced by sadness and guilt.

She didn't like the look of guilt on him, it didn't suit him right.

Before he could speak she leaned forward and raised her hand and pressed her index finger against his loft lips with a small smile of her own.

"No." She whispered softly. "Don't you start, Chat Noir." She saw a flicker of something in his expression but the sadness didn't leave as much as she hoped it would. "This isn't your fault."

Adrien closed his eyes as he sighed, taking her delicate fingers in his hand and kissing her knuckles, acting almost on habit.

There was another silence between them, which was much shorter than the previous one. Adrien kept his eyes on her fingertips as he began to speak.

"How long have you known?" He asked, risking a glance in her general direction.

"A week." She answered softly, as if the nurse would walk in suddenly and learn all of their secrets. His gaze went back to her fingers and she felt a sudden disappointment at the disappearance of his green eyes on her.

He nodded slowly as he began to compare what he had learnt and what he had observed himself in class. She leaned back slowly and was pleased that Adrien's light hold on her hand remained. As if to keep something of hers in his hands, he scooted his chair closer to her bed to remain within arms reach. She squeezed his fingers in the hopes that it would soothe him, even if it was only slightly.

"I had my first ... _dream_ two weeks ago." She began as his gaze went back up. She wanted to keep his attention until he no longer had that look in his eyes. She had seen both Adrien and Chat Noir sad far too often for her liking.

"It had started as any other really." She shrugged. "One second I was somewhere fictional and the next I was Ladybug, running across the rooftops and throwing my yoyo around various lampposts and buildings. I turned around and you were there too, right behind me." She saw a small smile hint at his lips but it didn't stay long. "We landed on a rooftop, where we could see les Champs Élysées from where we stood and suddenly your mask came off." He remembered the spot she spoke of, it was where he had told her he'd risk his life to save hers the day of the akuma attack.

She chuckled as her other hand covered half of her face in slight embarrassment. "I woke up in a sweat, starring at Tikki and I started to blubber nonsense sentences. I managed to convince myself that what I saw was rubbish and that was that. Until a few days after." She felt something close to hope when he hadn't lowered his gaze, she pressed on to not lose the sight of his green eyes that she wished she could make happy again. "We both stood on the same roof and your mask was still off but then, instead of waking up, I heard you say, 'I'd do anything to protect you my Lady'... There was a flash of red and I saw your face that was far too pale... That was all it was though, a flash." Marinette shook her head as she remembered seeing and hearing those words leave his real lips, how the two sentences overlapped into fictional and real life. "I didn't even let that one finish. I was hearing Chat's words out of Adrien's mouth and I panicked." She returned her gaze to Adrien's, she saw his mind merge what she had seen and what he had said and suddenly her spooked reaction at the time made slightly more sense.

"I was still able to function after that dream though and I started noticing similarities between you and Chat, the little things I didn't notice before. How you walked, talked, how your face would scrounge up when you knew you had the opportunity to make a joke but didn't."

He smiled at that with an exhale that sounded like a chuckle, and she smiled too.

"But then the nightmare came. And I couldn't wake from that one." She cleared her throat as she had been repressing that particular memory from the moment she had seen it. She felt Tikki's presence on her shoulder, her soft hand was pressed against the skin of her neck as she smiled lightly.

"I showed him Marinette." She spoke in her calm voice. "You don't need to say it."

Marinette's shoulders shook a little as she looked away from them, instead focusing her attention to the foot of the bed. "No I-" she took a deep breath and she could feel Adrien's hand squeeze hers as it came out much shakier than she intended. "I need to say this." She tried again, looking back towards Tikki with a small smile before turning her gaze to Adrien's.

"I need to say this." She spoke a little louder than before but it was still nearly a whisper. He waited patiently for her to speak as he rubbed small circles on her hand.

"That nightmare came back when we vaulted over Paris and when I saw the akuma... I knew what was about to happen." She didn't look away from Adrien's hurt eyes, not that time.  
"That was what I was trying to tell you yesterday, before the fight. I made you _promise_ and yet you _did it anyway_."

It was his turn to look down as shame and regret pulled at his heart. His shoulders started to shake when he opened his mouth to apologize profusely and sincerely, he felt his Lady's arms snake around his torso once more and pull him to her chest with a little more strength than before. She brought him up into the mattress at her side in one smooth motion, with a strength he knew came from all her time as Ladybug.

He wrapped his arms around her upon contact and didn't shy away or freeze as his fingers clung to her hospital gown. He barely heard her small voice over his silent plea for forgiveness. "But you always did dumb things to protect me... Kitty I'm so _sorry_." She shook lightly in his hold but instead of releasing him, she buried her face in his neck again, her features completely engulfed by the blue scarf around his neck. "I knew you wouldn't even think twice about it." She wanted to say more but found that her throat couldn't let anything else through. Her shoulders started to shake and Adrien couldn't stop the tear from falling down his cheek as he held her tighter, hoping that she could feel how scared he had been and still was. All he heard from Marinette's lips were soft whimpers and it tore his heart to bits.

"I'm sorry Marinette..." He apologized, his own voice shaking and breaking. "I was willing to pay the price it took for you..." His heart screamed at him to confess his feelings, confess everything but his mind took over. His heart didn't know how to read situations and this was not the time. "I didn't want to lose you." He said instead, pressing his lips to the side of her head and whatever was available to him.

They stayed like that for a while, arms wrapped around the other in a desperate plea to try and forget what nearly happened. Adrien knew she didn't blame him and it did help, but it was still his doing that brought his Lady to the hospital. She'd argue that he saved her too but it was his doing that brought her there in the first place.

They were quiet for a long time until he heard Marinette's silent hiccups. Adrien loosened his hold on her and his heart plummeted as he saw tears go down her cheeks. He cupped her face softly with both hands and kissed her forehead, she smiled as she closed her eyes.

"I told myself I wasn't going to cry." She admitted defeated, feeling Adrien wipe away her tear with his thumb. "Yet here I am."

Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat as her blue eyes opened. They enraptured him so completely that he didn't register that his lips started to move.

"I told myself I'd never fail you and never do anything to anger you," her expression became sad as she leaned into his hand with a slight shake of her head. "Yet here I am."

She touched his hand that lay on her cheek with a softness he wasn't expecting. Her blue eyes looked into his sad green ones with a determination he could only remember seeing on Ladybug's features. "I'd never hate you, it's against my nature. And Adrien?" He replied with a light hum. "You could never fail me."

Tikki tried to contain her squeal from creeping out of her lips. She was settled in Plagg's improvised little nest high up on the curtain rod and she had to tackle the cat kwami into the corner so he'd stop interfering. She loved that cat but sometimes he could truly be a nuisance.

Tikki's expression lit up as she saw Adrien's smile. Marinette started blushing furiously as she noticed the words that came out of her mouth and stuttered profusely, her stutters didn't hinder Adrien's advance. He leaned inwards slowly with one hand still cupping her cheek gently as she blabbered on, saying something about how the painkillers were making her touchy and she apologized a few thousand times before Adrien was inches from her face.

"Marinette..." He whispered, causing her words to halt suddenly and her cheeks to flare up into a new different kind of red.

"Y-yes?" She whispered back, her eyes darting from his lips to his eyes.

He crept a little forwards and Tikki was so happy her little heart could burst. They were so close she wished she could bump into them and make them kiss but she wanted to see it with her own eyes, she was very invested.

'It's happening!' She thought with glee.

Well that was until she noticed that the damn cat was no longer restrained.

"Adrieeeeennnnn!" She heard him wail and her eyes opened wide as the two teens froze. Adrien's forehead touched Marinette's as sighed sharply and turned his head towards the grumpy kwami, without bothering to cover his unimpressed demeanour.

"Yes Plagg?"

"Do I need to remind you that you still owe me buckets of Camembert?"

Marinette couldn't help but giggle at Adrien's glare but felt disappointed as he lowered his hand from her cheek and put them in his hoodie's pockets, however he didn't move away. 'So close!' She thought to herself, her cheeks still red and warm.

She smiled as she saw the two of them bicker, well Plagg bickered and Adrien answered him with dejected "Yes Plagg"s.

Once Plagg was done giving Adrien a piece of his hungry mind, the blond boy turned to Marinette with a sheepish smile. "I guess this is my cue." He told her with a shrug.

She wrapped her arms around her waist as she flashed him a very Ladybug like grin. "Don't be a stranger." She chuckled.

Something seemed to grow inside of him as he saw her in that light. She was as bright as a tomato yet she had her back straight, her arms crossed, her playful smile decorated her lips... It was like a slap to the face as he saw Ladybug and Marinette merge perfectly.  
 _She always cared._ He realized at that moment.

His mind turned off as he surged forwards, his fingers tilting her chin up for his lips to meet hers.

Her lips were soft and her cheeks were still warm from the blush that didn't settle. She made a sound of surprise before he felt her lashes brush against his own cheeks. He started to smirk at the image of Marinette's eyes open wide in surprise but that visual didn't stay for long after she wrapped her arms around his neck loosely.

He didn't plan for the kiss to last long but he found that he had no urge to leave anytime soon, if ever.

He could feel Plagg bump into the back of his head but Adrien ignored him as he wrapped one arm around Marinette's waist, bringing her closer to him.

She let out a little whine and that sound did _things_ to him, his body temperature increased tenfold and his need to be flush against her was a great need that could never be quenched. He only hoped she was having a similar experience on her end, but judging by the way she clung to his hoodie he had a pretty good idea.

He felt himself slow down and rested his forehead on hers, taking deep breaths that tangled with hers. She opened her eyes before his, and was greeted with an even more disheveled Adrien with a flustered face, hair sticking out from all over, his blush receding much like her own. She smiled brightly as her hand came up to cup his cheek as she kissed his nose.

He laughed as she did and slowly opened his eyes and Marinette felt her heart beat its way out of her rib cage.

There, right before her, was Adrien Agreste who was finally happy. His smile spread from cheek to cheek and his green eyes shone bright and unhinged by the previous sadness and guilt. She vowed that she would defeat a thousand akumas to make him happy again, because it was the most precious and beautiful thing she had even seen.

He cleared his throat as he felt Plagg run into his side again. He grabbed her hand in his as he spoke. "Well I guess I really do need to go now." He whispered. Marinette smiled once more and nodded as she leaned back slightly, putting some more space between them. She figured that if they remained with their foreheads touching for too long he'd never leave and Plagg would become even more unmanageable.

"Go." She smiled at his loopy smile. She gave his shoulder a small push to get him going. "Go on. Feed your needy kwami before he drives Tikki up the walls."

"It's me he's going to drive up the walls." He replied with a smirk. He kept her hand in his as he got up from the mattress and once he was standing and no longer breathing the same air as his Lady he found that he could think a little clearer. He discovered that he enjoyed not being able to think...

"Will I see you tomorrow?" She asked, not pulling her hand back from his hold.

Adrien smiled as he nodded. "I don't think anything could possibly keep me away."

"Well tomorrow is a Tuesday, don't you have a-" her eyes opened in slight panic as she slammed her mouth shut. Adrien laughed heartily.  
"You didn't hear _anything_!" She said through her teeth, more out of embarrassment then of anger. He simply winked at her with a grin.

"Oh I'm sure you'll find ways to get me to forget my Lady." He whispered as he kissed her hand for the last time that night.

Marinette blushed at the tone of his voice, still trying to get used to Chat and Adrien sharing the same _everything_.

"In that case you better get going so I can make up my mind." She replied with a nudge of her head directing his attention to an increasingly irritated Plagg. "Also, give the poor cat his cheese before destroys everything you own."

Adrien sighed as he let go of her hand and tugged his hoodie a little loose. "Come on Plagg." He beckoned over.

"Finally!" The kwami sighed with a dramatic huff, boasting his chest outward, and flying into Adrien hoodie. "If I don't have any Camembert in the next hour I just might die!" He added, a little muffled by the fabric. Adrien rolled his eyes with an endearing smile.

"You say that all the time Plagg."

Marinette giggled as Tikki made a snide comment about how Plagg had been saying that particular sentence ever since Camembert was invented.

Adrien made his way to the door and waved before leaving with a heart that was beating twice as fast as before. He felt light on his feet and warm everywhere on the inside. This wasn't the way he had imagined their reveal would go but he couldn't argue with the results.

They were both alive and as it turns out kissing was a lot more enjoyable then health class made it seem.

He made it to the Agreste Mansion barely a half an hour later and once he was back into the coldness of his room he became restless. So he took his bag, filled it with homework and turned to his personal floating glutton.

Plagg sighed as he knew what Adrien would say.

"Plagg, claws out!"

/-/-/-/

Adrien and Marinette spent that entire night talking to each other, about everything and nothing, to the point of exhaustion.

The next thing they knew it was morning and their legs were intertwined, both comfortably settled on Marinette's hospital bed. They woke to the sound of Marinette's father's loud 'ahem' and they knew they owed Tom and Sabine an explanation.

They both stuttered and blubbered with bright red faces as Sabine took a picture with a sly smile. But as Tom and Sabine made no move to push off the bright red blond boy, Marinette and Adrien wordlessly decided not to deny anything that they already accepted.

They were _partners_ after all.

/-/-/-/

 __ _So that concludes that! This started as a One Shot that exploded way out of proportion. As it stands now there's a sequel in the works, mainly based around Marinette's recovery and general shenanigans. I'm saying this here because if the Sequel does happen I'll post the preview as the next chapter in this story's page (so that you guys don't have to refresh anything or follow out of necessity, you know?)_

 _For those who are curious about Adrien's thought that made him blush around the painkiller conversation, it was something along the lines of:_

 _"Yes but do you still feel your lips". This boy is hopeless I tell you. And I love him._

 _It's been a pleasure doing business with you all! Thank you so much for all your reviews and follows! Hopefully you'll hear from me soon! :D  
\- Addira_


	5. Incoming Prequel

Stay tuned friends. Yes I'm doing this. Exams are over and I am writing this prequel!

I've been pretty much MIA since last year in terms of writing and I've missed it dearly.

 _I hope you like DJWIFI._

It will be called "Friendly Persuasion". And I will be adding a preview in this mystical "chapter five" so you can read through a bit of it and see if you're willing to read it.

I hope you are having a happy holidays where ever you are!  
(And if you have exams, good luck and I feel your pain.)

Preview:

Lately Nino realized that his life kind of evolved around the Akumas. His girlfriend was always looking for them and had a hard-on for Ladybug (a worthy adversary for Alya's love - he knew this coming into their relationship), Adrien would get days where all he could think of was Ladybug, and Marinette sometimes reminded him of her - with the pigtails and stuff. Adrien can try to deny it but he's a hopeless Chat Noir fan too, Nino had caught him laughing too hard multiple times at Chat's puns that honestly weren't really that funny. He still didn't think that "Spots is the Cat's meow" was that funny, however it would make a good shirt to sell on the Ladyblog. In fact it was legitimately something Chat had said once; the first thing Nino woke up to that morning was a post on the Ladyblog entitled, "Things Chat Noir has Actually Said" which contained cringe worthy puns and wordplay too clever to have been invented on the spot or during a fight, which insinuated that Chat planned them out somehow.

'Heh. On the spot.' Nino thought with a grin. 'Adrien probably already thought of that one but he'd be proud.' Nino's phone buzzed in his jean pocket and he smiled as he saw who it came from.

'Speaking of the devil.'

Adrien: "Mental note: never leave school grounds during an akuma fight on a Monday."

Nino: "Dude where did you end up this time? Last Monday you travelled pretty far."

Adrien: "Farther than last time. Saw Alya too."

Nino chuckled at that. The last akuma managed to carry Adrien halfway across the city. He said that as soon as he stepped out to talk to the Gorilla he always gets swooped into moving crowds and can't exactly break free until they've travelled quite a ways away. But that's just Adrien for you, too polite to cut through and get out of said crowds so instead he just stays for the ride.

Nino was pretty sure Adrien legitimately enjoyed walking about, seeing Paris through his own eyes instead of in the shadow of the Gorilla, and for that Nino never said anything. He didn't know why Adrien felt the need to justify why he always disappeared but Nino never pried. He was his bro, not his babysitter.

Instead he would be the best friend his sheltered bro could ever want. And the best wingman for Marinette at the same time


End file.
